Improvement in harness-buckles



. 2 Sheets--Sheet1.

J. MAGRUDER'. Harness-Buckle.

Patented Sept; 21,1875.

W'QQW T. J. MAGRUDER.

Harness-Buckle. N0. 167,917. Patented Sept-.2I,l875.

2 Sheets--Sheet 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS J. MAGRUDER, OF MARION, OlEIIO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF HIS RIGHT TO JAMES THORNTON AND EMMIT G. LATTA, OF FRIENDSHIP, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN HARNESS-BUCKLES.

I Specification forming part of Letters PatentNo. 167,9 1?, dated September 21', 1875 application filed March 20, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, THOMAS J. MAGRUDER, of Marion, in the county of Marion and State of Ohio, have invented an Improved Harness-Buckle; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specifi-' cation- Figure 1 being a front view of the buckle as applied to the parts of a harness with which it is connected; Fig. 2, a section thereof in a plane indicated by the line a: m, Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a section of the same in a plane indicated by the line'g y, Fig. 1.

Like letters designate corresponding parts in all of the figures.

I have shown in the drawings, and have described, my invention as applied to harnessbuckles connecting the back and belly bands, holdback-straps, and traces; but it is applicable, also, to other parts of a harness, and to saddles, bridles, and halters.

The nature of my invention consists in a buckle provided with a fixed tongue, A, projecting upward from a depressed bottom, or cross arms or bars, and with a raised frame or loops, by which the straps or other parts to be connected are held upon the tongue. Also, in a peculiar form given to the raised frame, and in an auxiliary tongue for some uses, all substantially as herein specified.

From the center of the buckle projects upward a strong tongue, A, and from the base thereof four bars, a a, a or, extend outward in nearly radial directions to, and join with, the outer frame b of the buckle. This center part and the radial bars are sunk lower than the outer frame I), so as to afford suffi'cient depth of space to admit between them the trace B in one direction, and the pad 0 and bellyband D in a direction transverse to the other, as represented. Also, the holdback-strap E extends through a loop, d, in the frame, and thence between the other straps, all being held in place by the tongue A, which passes through them and firmly holds them without the necessity of their being stitched or otherwise held together. Thus great facility and convenience are afiorded in removing and replacing breeching for various kinds of work, as well as ready adjustment to suit different sizes of animals. The frame b, at opposite sides 0 e, is curved or bent inward toward the center, in a somewhat heart-shaped or similar form, in order to hold the pad and belly-band down over the trace close to the edges of the same, and thus retain all more securely in place. The frame on opposite sides of the buckle is of the same form, so that the buckle is adapted to either the near or off trace. In addition to the central tongue A, which holds all of the straps or parts united by the buckle, I employ an auxiliary tongue, f, which projects upward from the buckle-frame where the holdback-strap E passes over it, and assists in holding the said holdback strap with greater security, for harness adapted to specially heavy work, and in hilly'countries, where great strain comes upon the holdback. The buckle may be made with or without this auxiliary tongue.

The buckle .may be made of malleable iron, all cast in one piece, and is, therefore, very cheap of construction; and it requires neither stitching nor riveting to attach it to the harness orhold it in place, so that it affords economy in labor as in the material, both in the manufacture of the buckle and the make-up of the harness. It is applicable both to folded and stitched tugs.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A buckle, composed of a central fixed tongue, A, sunk or depressed bars or bottom arms a a a a, and raised frame b, substantially as and for the purpose herein specified.

2. The inward curves or bends of the frame b of the buckle at opposite sides thereof, substantially as and for the purpose herein specifled.

3. The auxiliary tongue f, arranged substantially as described, in combination with the buckle-frame b and holdback-loop d, as and for the purpose herein specified.

H THOMAS J. MAGRUDER. Witnesses:

N. B. LOVE, OTHO KANABLE. 

